


Professor Tom

by brittishmenorbust



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: AU, College, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Professor Tom, Romance, Smut, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-04 18:52:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3082823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brittishmenorbust/pseuds/brittishmenorbust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are nearing the end of the semester and your professor asks you out. Eventual smut and romance lurk around the corner for you and Tom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finals week

English was your favorite class for two reasons. First, you loved it for the subject matter - in fact you were majoring in it. Secondly, it was taught by your favorite professor, Tom Hiddleston. He had told all of you to call him Tom at the beginning of the semester but with that British accent and those cheekbones, you felt that he deserved the title Professor Hiddleston. It was established and elegant, like him. Professor's class had been great and now you were nearing the end of the semester. You just had one final paper and you were determined to impress him. Even though he was older, you admitted you had developed a crush on him. He was very handsome and also extremely nice and passionate about literature. During the semester you couldn't help but have a smile plastered on your face and laugh along when he gave his classic "ehehe" laugh. 

You sat in class, rivited as Professor Hiddleston told the class what to do for the final. All you needed to do was revise the rough draft of the paper you wrote last week. You were so enraptured just listening to that deep voice that you jumped when it spoke your name.  
You nodded although your heart was beating fast and it was hard to concentrate. 

"Will you see me after class?" He asked. There was a hint of a smile on his lips. You simply nodded because you weren't sure if you trusted yourself to speak at the moment. It was one thing when you were answering questions about literature, it was another when speaking to Professor Hiddleston about anything else. You wondered what he wanted to talk to you about. 

Shortly after that he dismissed the class. The students quickly petered out, leaving you and Professor Hiddleston alone in the large classroom. You stayed seated while he went up to his desk and got a paper. Then he walked to the front of the desk and sat on it, letting his long legs dangle over the sides. He looked at the paper and then slowly up to you. There was that smile again. You swallowed hard. You hadn't yet been alone with him and it was intimidating. He was so intelligent and attractive. You felt severely plain in comparison. 

"This is your paper," he said, holding it up. You raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It's amazing. I think if we work on it together, we can get it published somewhere," he said. 

Published? You? Surely he was kidding. His face looked eager and excited, waiting for you to respond. 

"What? Really?" You asked. 

Professor Hiddleston chuckled and nodded. "Yes, it's quite good. It's insightful and fresh, I'm impressed."

You couldn't stop the blush that rose to your cheeks. You were thrilled to hear that from someone you admired so much. 

"I think the main thing is just the structure of it," he said, looking at your paper. "Did you have any ideas about maybe switching the order of the topics around?"

You thought for a moment and thought it might be useful to lay it out visually. 

Pointing to the chalkboard, you asked, "May I?"

He nodded and you walked over to the chalkboard. Talking to the professor alone was still intimidating but now that you had something specific to talk about, you were calmer. You picked up there eraser and began wiping away the quotes and notes he had written on the board. You were very short compared to him and couldn't reach high enough to erase very much above you. You suddenly heard the desk creak as Professor Hiddleston dismounted it. You heard his footsteps coming closer to you and finally stop behind you. 

"Allow me," he whispered in your ear. You felt his left hand move to the small of your back as the other took the eraser from you. Your breath hitched. His hand stayed on your back until he was done erasing the higher parts. Then he placed it on the shelf and stepped back from you. You forced yourself to breathe normally. What was that? It felt strangely intimate but maybe that's just the way he treated everyone?

You thanked him in a small voice and began to write your outline. 

He stood back and watched you write. You felt very self conscious with your back turned to him. Finally you finished writing and took a step back. You glanced at him. He was deep in thought. He took the chalk and started drawing arrows. 

"What if you moved this idea here and that one here?" He asked. He looked at you to see what you thought. You had been more interested in the way his body moved when he wrote. What was it about vests on guys that made them look so good? Professor Hiddleston looked expectantly at you. You took another piece of chalk and stood next to him. You drew your own arrows and added another idea. Your side glance at him revealed that he was smiling at you. 

"By George I think we've got it!" He laughed. You smiled at him. 

"I think that will work a lot better," you said honestly. Professor Hiddleston put his piece down and went to take yours from you. His slender fingers trailed down your forearm before reaching your hand to grab the chalk. You almost shivered at the contact and when you looked into his eyes, you forgot to breathe. His smile had transformed into a look of... Was that lust? His tongue darted out to wet his lips before he cleared his throat and took a step back from you, shaking his head. 

"Yes, I think you're in excellent shape now," he said. His voice sounded strained. He went to his desk and shuffled some papers around. 

Was that it? Should you leave?

"Okay well I'll make sure to edit the paper and get it in for finals week, Professor," you said. You headed over to collect your things and leave. Professor Hiddleston watched you closely. He looked like he was debating something. Finally he spoke. 

"(Y/n), after this week I won't be your professor any more. 

You were confused. Why was this important?

" I know," you said. "This is my favorite class. I wish I could take your other class but I don't have room in my schedule."

He chuckled softly and made his way over to you. You felt your legs waiver a little. 

"That's not really what I meant," he said. His voice was low and sultry. His eyes were trained on you, watching your every move. 

"Oh," you managed to say, still not understanding. 

"After next week I won't be your professor any more... So it wouldn't be unprofessional of me to hypothetically... Ask you to dinner or something of the kind," he said. He was very close to you now, but still respecting your space. 

Did Professor Hiddleston just ask you out?

You were frozen, unable to comprehend. You saw his face drop as he assumed your hesitation was a rejection. You reached out to him instinctively and touched his arm. 

"You would want to have dinner with me?" You asked. "Like a date?" You couldn't help but clarify. 

His lips curled into a small smile. 

"Yes, of course," he said. "I know there's an age difference and I understand if that bothers you, but getting to know you this year has been amazing and I really wish to know you better," he said, licking his lips at the end of the sentence. 

"I never thought you'd be interested in me," you admitted. "But I would absolutely love that, Professor."

"Please, call me Tom."

"Tom," you tested. It felt silly, childish, but also exciting. He smiled. 

Your eyes locked and he stepped closer to you. His hand reached up to tuck a stray hair behind your ear. He looked like he was leaning in even more for a second but he stopped himself. 

"Let me know if you need help with the paper in the meantime," he said, almost in a whisper. All you could do was nod. He backed away from you so you could gather your things and head out. 

"I'll see you at the final," you said, with what you hoped was nonchalance. 

"See you then," Tom smiled. 

As you exited the classroom you felt like a grinning idiot. A date with Professor Hiddleston? Tom, you corrected yourself. A date with Tom. You couldn't wait to finish with the class. Now you just had to finish the paper. How could you possibly focus?


	2. No longer a student

You had been so busy with finals you hadn't had much time to think about your upcoming date with Professor Hiddleston. Tom, you had to keep reminding yourself. He wouldn't be your professor for much longer. The second your revised paper was in his hands, you were no longer his student. You kept replaying the whole thing in your head. How many times had you daydreamed about that exact scenario? His words made you feel good about yourself. The fact that he admired your writing made you giddy. And now here you were, about to hand in your final paper to him at last. It had been a long week, but hopefully worth it. 

You wondered what he would be like out of a classroom. You tried to imagine him in a bar or somewhere like that and chuckled. He was just so... Classy. You wondered where he would take you on the date. Would you fit in to whatever world he belonged to?

Your hands were slightly shakey as they opened the door to his classroom. Everyone had been assigned a time to come and hand in their paper. You, of course, had been given the last time slot. You took a deep breath and entered. You self consciously pulled at the hem of your skirt and scolded yourself. You had chosen it because it was short and made your legs look good. Now as you walked in you felt like exactly what you were: a school girl. Well, you thought, it was too late now. There he was, sitting at his desk, reading. He hadn't heard you come in and sat studying a paper. He had reading glasses on which only served to make him more attractive. You cleared your throat and he looked up, startled. Suddenly a smile spread across his face and his eyes gleamed. He seemed extatic to see you. 

He rose and walked to the front of the desk. You walked a few paces to meet him there. He leaned against the desk, but his weight shifted it backwards causing a loud noise. He lost his balance for a second and you couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't perfect all the time apparently. 

Tom chuckled and blushed a bit before removing his glasses to look at you. 

"Hello, welcome to Grace 101, clearly a beginners course," he chided. You couldn't stop the smile on your face if you tried. 

"Thank you, it's an honor to take the course from such a master," you joked back. 

He laughed at your joke and you felt yourself more at ease. You suddenly remembered why you were here in the first place and reached into your bag for your paper. Since your discussion on rearranging the ideas, the paper had gone much more smoothly. You were really happy with it and it made you feel great. 

"Here you are," you said, going to give the paper to him. His eyes trailed from the paper down to your short hem line. He moved closer to you. You could feel his warm breath. He smelled amazing. 

"Once I take this from you, you are no longer my student," he stated. 

"Then take it," you smiled, biting your lip. He leaned in as he went to go take your paper and your badge as his student. Just as he was about to take it, and his lips were just about to touch yours, you heard a voice. 

"I'm so sorry Professor," you heard outside the door. 

Immediately you and Tom pulled away from each other and stepped back. An out of breath student arrived in the doorway with a paper. 

"The bus I was on broke down and I missed the time slot, I'm so sorry."

Tom's voice was strained but patient. You felt yourself release the breath you had been holding. 

"It's quite alright," Tom said. The student's face softened into gratitude as he nearly ran to him. He gave him the paper and quickly said his goodbyes. You still had your paper in your hand. 

Tom went over to the door and shut it. He slowly turned around to you. The look he gave you nearly stopped your heart. 

He walked over to you and stood even closer than before. 

"Your paper, please, Miss (y/l/n)," he whispered. 

Your breath hitched and you extended the hand holding the paper to him. The second it was free from your hand, his lips were on yours. The kiss was sweet, not demanding. Nonetheless it made your head spin and your knees weak. He pulled away, licking his lips.   
"I've wanted to do that for some time now," he admitted, looked at you through hooded lids. 

"Really?" You asked. Sure, you had had daydreams about him but you never thought they would have been reciprocated. He looked at you as if you were an unsolvable puzzle. 

"Of course, darling. You're smart, talented, and rather beautiful on top of all that," he added as his eyes skimmed down your body again. You blushed. 

His hands found their way to your hips after placing your paper on his desk. They steered you to lean against the desk. His lips found yours again, this time with a more insistent nature. When the desk moved and made a noise you chuckled before lifting yourself onto it. You let your legs dangle. Tom eyed you with a curious gaze. He stepped closer to you so that he was leaning against your legs. 

"I'm looking forward to our date," he said. 

You wanted him closer to you so you opened your legs. He accepted the invitation and stepped between them. 

"Me too," you smiled, pulling him by his tie for a kiss. "Where are we going?"

He kissed you lightly before responding. 

"I thought I'd cook for us at my place," he said. He kissed your cheek and proceeded to your jawline and your neck, sucking and kissing. Your hands roamed his broad shoulders. 

"That sounds wonderful, Professor," you said. You realized you were supposed to call him Tom but when you said professor he sort of growled into your neck. His hands found their way from your hair down to your legs. Your already short hem was pushed up even further. Your breath came quickly and you started to wonder how far this was going to go. You wanted Tom but here? Surely someone would see you two. As if he read your mind you felt his hands retract. He straightened up and leaned in to kiss your forehead. 

"Forgive me for being so forward," he said. "You're just so intoxicating to me."

You blushed and lowered yourself from the table. 

"Don't apologize, I feel the same way," you admitted. He smiled. Suddenly his face turned serious. 

"I don't want to... Rush this though," he said. "I'd like to take thing slow for a bit, if you don't mind." He looked at you expectantly. 

"No problem," you said. And it wasn't. You were excited to get to know Tom. There was plenty of time for anything and everything. 

You exchanged numbers and planned for dinner at his place the following night. 

"Until then, my lady," he said, bowing to kiss your hand. You nearly swooned. 

"Until then," you smiled. 

You left with the taste of him still on your lips and the smell of him on your clothes. Intoxicating had been entirely right. You couldn't wait for the next evening for your date with Tom.


	3. Dinner Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sex will come in the next chapter my dearies :)

_Was this dress too slutty?_ you asked yourself as you stared into the mirror. The black dress you had chosen would hardly pass for modest. The deep neckline and short hem line showed off your curves... maybe too much? He was a professor after all, you were sure he appreciated a little class. You kept it on while you did your hair and make up. You added a shawl and decided that it would be fine. Why not show a little skin, a little reminder that you weren't just a student?

With one last look in the mirror and a text to Tom to tell him you were on your way, you jumped in your car and sped off to your dinner date. On the way you couldn't calm your nerves. This was a man who was significantly older and no doubt more experienced than you were. How would you keep him interested? You hoped that your common love of literature would at least sustain the conversation. As for the physical side of it... well, you were... quite inexperienced. You hoped this wouldn't be a problem but didn't plan on bringing it up. He said he wanted to take things slow right? You took a deep breath and pulled into the driveway of the address he gave you.

Apparently being a university professor paid well. The house was large, but not too large. It was classy, you could tell from the outside. It had large bay windows and two stories. The outside was half siding and half brick. You parked and suddenly heard barking.

When you opened your door, a golden retriever greeted you enthusiastically. Forgetting your black dress, you immediately got out of the car to greet it, kneeling down to be able to pet it better. You were smiling and giggling as the dog licked your face.

"Hi there, sweetie," you greeted the dog. She happily waved her tail back and forth, moving her whole body with it.

"Daisy!" you heard a male voice yell.

Suddenly you remembered why you were here. You stood up and tried to wipe some of the dog hair off of you. It worked to a minimal extent. Oh well. You looked up and saw Tom beaming at you. Daisy ran to him and he gave her an affectionate pat on the head while walking over to you.

"Hello, darling," Tom said, kissing you on the cheek. "Did you find the place okay?"

"Yes, and had a lovely welcome committee," you grinned, looking down at Daisy.

"I forgot that I had left the dog door open," Tom said, leaning down to pet her. "Hope you don't mind a little fur," he apologized.

"It's no problem, I love dogs," you said.

"Why don't we go in, I've almost finished making dinner," Tom said.

"Sounds good Profess-" you stopped yourself almost in time. "Tom," you corrected yourself, blushing.

Tom smiled knowingly at you and took your hand. You followed him inside, Daisy trailing after the two of you, tail still wagging.

Tom opened the door for you and you walked into the main foyer. The ceilings were high, and the smell of some kind of sauce was in the air. The walls were a pale blue and decorated with various paintings.

"You have a lovely house," you said, feeling a bit cliche.

"Thank you," he smiled. He led you into the kitchen. You spied a pot with pasta and another with sauce. Simple, pleasant. "It's almost done. I thought I'd go with something simple."

"Smells great," you said, taking a seat at the kitchen's island. Tom went over to the sauce and stirred it.

"So, how does it feel to be a semester closer to graduation?" he asked, dipping his finger into the sauce. He sucked it and made a pleased face. You were quite distracted by this, thinking about what else he could do with those long fingers. It took you a little while to snap out of it and respond.

"I... umm... it feels, scary," you laughed. "All I've known so far is school."

"I remember feeling that way too," he said. "Perhaps that's why I returned to it!" he chuckled a low "ehehe" and turned off the burners. He drained the sauce and put the pasta on plates, gently laying the sauce over it. While he did this, it gave you time to check him out. He was wearing a white dress shirt that was a little too tight, not that you minded. His dress pants had some dog hair on them, but accented his long legs quite nicely.

He took the two plates and set them on the table behind the kitchen's island. You hadn't noticed before but the table had a beautiful red cloth, fresh flowers, and even two candles. Tom put the plates across from each other at the small table. He stood by a chair and motioned for you to sit. You thanked him and blushed at the chivalry.

He put his hands on your shoulders and leaned down to whisper in your ear, "You look stunning my dear." You shuddered with pleasure. His voice was like velvet. "Would you like some wine?"

All you could do was nod your head. Suddenly it felt like a million degrees in there. You took off your shawl, exposing your shoulders and more cleavage. You could feel Tom's eyes on you while he was bringing the wine over. You turned to drape the shawl over the chair and caught his eyes roaming your body. He merely smirked and brought over the glasses.

The meal was amazing. Whatever he had put in that sauce was perfect. You complimented him on the meal.

"Thank you," he responded, wiping a little sauce off the side of his mouth. "It's my own recipe."

"Wow!" you exclaimed. "Maybe you should teach culinary schools instead," you smiled.

"Maybe, and you could take over my literature class," his eyes sparkled at you. He clearly thought you were quite able to do so.

"I don't think so," you shook your head. "I don't know how you do it," you said, baiting him.

"Do what?" he took the bait.

"Deal with all the girls that have crushes on their professor," you looked down at your pasta. The wine had made you bolder than you would have been normally.

He chuckled. "Clearly I have a similar problem," he said, looking right at you. "Although it was only one student." He shrugged like it was nothing.

You looked at him and he smiled softly.

"You have no idea how long I had waited, how long it felt like, for the semester to be over," he said. "I almost said 'Fuck ethics,' and asked you out mid semester. But I thought, no, I should wait. And so I did... and here we are," he seemed to falter at the last sentence, like he thought it sounded dumb. You smiled widely.

"I never thought you'd notice me in that way," you admitted. "But I know I noticed you." You took another sip of wine and looked at his perfect face. Sigh. He was so beautiful.

"Of course I noticed you. And not just because you're extremely beautiful. Everything you wrote this year was so passionate, intelligent, and interesting. I wanted... to know your mind," he said.

"Well, I'm not sure you want to know _all_ of my mind," you winked. Wow this wine was really getting to you. You pushed your glass away.

He chuckled again. "I'm actually quite sure I do."

You had both finished with your meals. The candle light reflected in Tom's eyes and made them even more enchanting. You felt a little tipsy from the wine, but also warm and comfortable. What else did he have in mind for the two of you this evening?

"Would you like some more wine?" Tom asked, noticing your empty glass. Even though you had pushed it away from you, the idea of more of that sweet liquid was tempting. He was already getting up, presumably to refill his own glass. You nodded and rose. You were a little dizzy but regained your balance soon enough.

You followed him back to the kitchen where the wine was waiting in the fridge.

"I would have brought it to you, my dear," he chuckled. You walked over to the kitchen island where he stood with the bottle and leaned over it, presenting your glass. You were quite aware of his eyes floating down to your cleavage as you pushed your breasts together, half intentionally.

"That's alright, I wanted to get up," you said.

"Would you like to move somewhere more comfortable?" he asked, filling up your glass. You took a sip and smiled.

"I would love to."

He smiled back and took your hand, leading you over to another room. It had a large couch and a recliner. They sat in front of a large flat screen TV, which also housed books on the shelves that surrounded it.

You of course were immediately drawn to the books. You sipped your wine while you perused his collection. He sat on his couch, watching you.

It was mostly Shakespeare's works, along with all of the classics like Melville, Keats, Whitman, Fitzgerald, etc. You let your hand skim the spines and then turned around once you saw a particular title.

"The Great Gatsby?" you smirked. "Is that why your dog's name is Daisy?"

He smiled at you. "It is indeed," he said.

You walked over to the couch and plopped down next to him. You kicked off your shoes and tucked your legs up next to you, keeping your modesty mostly intact. He was eying you with an amused grin.

"What do you think of my collection?" he asked. One had held his wine, but the other arm was draped over the back of the couch. You could easily snuggle up next to him and have him wrap that arm around you. Tempting. You took another sip of wine. You were getting rather dizzy and silly-feeling, but you felt great.

"I think it's very you," you said honestly.

"Is that good?" he asked, some of his amused smirk had faded.

You let him stew for a moment.

"Yes," you answered finally. "I like the same stuff. Although I think Melville is a little pretentious at times," you giggled. Tom laughed. You were obviously being entertaining to him. You wondered if he had expected something different, someone more... not drunk? But you were having fun with him. You loved his smile and he smelled amazing. You felt at ease with him, unlike so many other guys you had tried to date.

"I hope that doesn't make me pretentious," he said in mock apprehension.

You were distracted by how soft his hair looked. Before you would stop yourself, your hand was running through it.

"Not at all,"  you answered him, feeling his hair run through your fingers. His eyes slipped closed. You realized that this might be inappropriate and pulled away. "Sorry," you muttered while you blushed.

He opened his eyes. "Don't be," he said. He looked a little sleepy. Suddenly, you felt a little sleepy. You took the last sip of your wine and set it down on the table next to the couch. You moved yourself so that your legs rested over his and your head could lay on his shoulder. That arm wrapped around you, just like you had envisioned. Tom hugged you close with that arm and put his glass down as well. You sighed as he then placed that hand on your leg, which was rather exposed now.

"I'm glad we're doing this, (Y/n)," Tom said.

"Me too," you sighed. You snuggled closer to his neck. He felt like... home. He felt like someone you could spend whole days with and talk to about anything. Sure, you had known him all semester, but not like this. Surely you shouldn't feel so strongly after just a dinner.

"Tell me about yourself," he requested. The arm that was wrapped around you moved so that he could play with your hair. That was one of your favorite feelings in the world.

You told him about yourself and your family. You talked on and on about your interests and your hobbies, letting everything flow out. Finally, you got to your history with men. It was pretty short, not much to say.

"I've dated some kids here and there, but nothing really," you said. "I just never really connect with anyone you know?" you tilted your head up to see his face. He was looking at you carefully.

"I do know," he said. There was a lot behind that statement. He agreed with you more than he could say. He kissed your forehead sweetly.

"Oh my gosh I've been talking forever. I never do that,"  you said. He giggled. "Tell me about you now,"  you said.

"Well, there's not much to tell," he started. "I love teaching and literature. I love my dog and I have a large family whom I also love. I can play the guitar and speak some French." He listed several more interesting facts and you listened. "And I've also dated here and there, but nothing serious in a long time."

You weren't surprised he'd had a serious relationship at one time. He was about ten years older than you. You were feeling rather sleepy now. You snuggled closer to him and put your hand on his chest. He was warm and his chest was firm. You heard a low moan from him and smiled. He was stroking your leg with one and and your hair with his other. There was nothing insistent about it. It almost felt like he was doing it without thinking.

You were half asleep when you realized he asked a question.

"What?" you said, pulling yourself away from him. If you stayed against his chest you would definitely fall asleep.

"I asked if you'd like to stay over or have me drive you home?" he had adorable puppy dog eyes.

"I don't want to impose," you said carefully. "You can drive me home, or I can take a cab," you offered.

"It's not imposing. But I will drive you home if you wish."

The thought of leaving Tom's house was not something that appealed to you. You also didn't bring anything to stay over with and didn't want him to have to take care of the hangover you would undoubtedly have in the morning.

"One ride home then, please," you smiled. He seemed almost disappointed but quickly hid it by kissing you lightly.

"Coming right up," he said. The two of you got up off of the couch. You got on your shoes and got your shawl. You grabbed your bag and met Tom by the door.

He opened the car door for you and you slipped in, still a little dizzy. You almost fell asleep on the ride home. It was warm and comfortable in Tom's car, just like the rest of him.

When you arrived at your apartment, he walked you to the door. You fumbled with your keys and finally found the one.

"Thank you for an excellent evening," you smiled up at him. He was so much taller than you. He licked his lips.

"No, thank you, my dear," Tom said, kissing the back of your hand. "I hope we can do it again."

"How about tomorrow?" you asked. "We could go out?"

"I would adore that, as I adore you," he said smoothly.

You made arrangements to get your car from Tom's house and set up a time.

He stepped closer to you and caressed the side of your face with his long fingers.

"You are so beautiful, little one," he whispered.

You leaned up and kissed him, wrapping your hands around his neck. You slipped your tongue into his mouth. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his hands around your waist.

You were about to invite him in but he pulled away and said, "Goodnight, my dear, until tomorrow."

You smiled and nodded at him. You watched him walk away and get into his car. You felt almost giddy and you turned and walked into your apartment. There was still so much to look forward to with your Professor. And so much to learn from him.


	4. The First Lesson

Tom was taking you out. When you thought about it, it made your head spin. Your Professor. The man who had taught you about literature you loved, was taking you on a date. Even though you had already spent time with him, going out to an actual place together made it feel more... official. You were giddy. After last time, you couldn't wait to see him again.

You had arranged for him to pick you up at 9pm, and there he was, right on time. Thankfully you had been ready to go for about an hour. You had gotten ready early because you were nervous and wanted to make sure you looked your best for him. Even though he had said he wanted to take things slow, and you respected that, you were hoping that something might happen tonight. And in preparation, you'd slipped into your lacy undergarments just in case.

You saw Tom get out of the car and head towards your door. You grabbed your coat and purse and beat him to it, meeting him on the stairs to your building with a chaste kiss.

"Hello, darling," his voice was low and intoxicating. "You look lovely," he added, his eyes skimming down your body.

"Thank you. And you are looking quite handsome yourself," you added, noting his tight blue dress shirt.

"Are you ready?" he asked, offering you his arm. You nodded and accepted it and he led you to his car, opening the door for you.

Once you were off, you asked him where you were going.

"It's a pub that I love. Pub sounds... low class, but this place is really nice," he promised.

"It doesn't matter where we go as long as I'm with you," you said. He smiled and reached for you hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed it, making you blush.

You quickly arrived and parked. The pub was as he described. Quaint was the word you would use. There was a bar with stools to the left of the entrance, but there were also small tables and booths with candles. It was actually very romantic.

Tom ordered some drinks and asked if you wanted a snack. You had already eaten, as was the plan, so you decided you were alright for the moment. Tom grabbed the drinks and led you to an empty booth. You happily snuggled into the corner with him and sipped your drink. Delicious.

The contact of Tom's leg and yours was enough to have your heartbeat elevated. You talked easily with him, as if you'd been friends for years. You laughed together and whispered. You concocted stories about other couples in the pub and chuckled like children.

Without warning you felt Tom's posture straighten and he moved to lean forward. A man had approached your booth. Tom's hand was extended to greet him. You recognized him, actually. It was Professor... Riley. You had had him once or twice during your college career. He was another literature professor. You smiled, unsure whether he would recognize you from that long ago.

You noticed that Tom was blushing, perhaps embarrassed by being seen with a student? When Professor Riley had greeted Tom, you held out your hand as well.

"Oh, Professor Riley, this is--"

"I'm (y/n)," you said, as he shook your hand. "I had you for American Literature a few semesters ago, actually."

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, which darted back and forth from you to Tom.

"Oh yes, nice to see you again," he said casually.

You couldn't help but feel the tension.

"Is this... school related?" he asked for some reason. You couldn't imagine how it could be. Tom cleared his throat.

"No, um... We're actually... well, on a date," Tom gave a nervous laugh.

Professor Riley gave a semi-believable smile.

"Oh, well I shan't disturb you any longer then," he gave an uncomfortable wave and left your booth.

Tom's shoulders relaxed and he leaned back into the seat.

"What's wrong?" you asked.

"Sorry, love," he said. "It just still feels like you're my student for some reason. Especially around other staff. I'm sorry I let it bother me," he said, giving you big puppy dog eyes.

How could you be angry with those eyes? And you understood, in a way. People would surely judge you two for the age difference alone, let alone the professor/student relationship.

He leaned in and kissed you, tracing his tongue along your lower lip. Fireworks bloomed behind your eyes.

"It's okay," you said. "I get it." You looked at him for a moment before adding, "It's kinda hot... the whole professor/student relationship thing. I sorta wish you hadn't waited to ask me out." You tried to sound sexy, seductive. You saw his pupils dilate a little and smiled. 

Leaning closer to you, he whispered in your ear, "Would you like me to teach you things?" in that velvety voice of his. _Oh God yes._

You nearly whimpered into his ear and he chuckled.

"Let's get out of here," you said, not caring about your half-full drink. You voice almost broke with the tension and the wanting you felt for Tom at this moment. He simply nodded and grabbed your hand, leading you out of the pub.

Legs wobbly beneath you, you somehow made it to his car without falling over. Once inside you couldn't stop staring at him. You had never wanted anyone this badly before. His right hand rested on your upper thigh while he drove with his left. The car ride felt like it took at least twice as long but you finally reached his house. Daisy barked inside but you barely noticed. You did not wait for Tom to open the door for you. You got out and met him at the front of the car. You pressed your body against his and went on tip toe to kiss him. Your lips were hungry but he pulled away long enough to convince you that going inside was necessary.

You followed him in and waited for Daisy to calm down. Soon enough his lips came crashing down on yours. Your hands couldn't decide where they most wanted to be: in his hair, on his ass, gripping his shoulders.

You stumbled, blindly following him as he led you to his bedroom. You didn't have time or patience to look around but his bed was soft and that was all that mattered for a moment. He broke the kiss and left you laying on your back, facing him. It occurred to you that you should inform him of something important.

"Tom," you said, surprised by the breathlessness of your voice. "You should probably know," he was eying you hungrily, "I... I've never done... anything like this before." You moved your eyes away from him, slightly afraid of judgement or ridicule.

You felt a finger lift your chin and felt Tom's soft lips on yours. They were gentle now, patient.

"That is fine, darling, don't worry," he said when he pulled away. Suddenly his eyes grew darker. "I am your Professor after all," he said. "I will teach you."

Suddenly that fire was re-lit inside you. You moved back onto the bed and he hovered over you. His kiss was electric, sending sparks everywhere. His hands traced over your sides and down your hips.

"First lesson," he said, staring into your eyes. "The female orgasm," he smiled mischievously. "Tonight is all about you, okay? We'll still take it slowly."

You nodded, you didn't trust your voice.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. This wasn't something you were expecting.

"Yes," you answered automatically. He grinned and kissed you.

He took off his shirt slowly and you used the opportunity to slide out of your dress. His eyes lingered over your newly exposed flesh and you relished the idea that you could make him want you.

He swopped down to kiss you on your lips. He then proceeded down your jawline and neck, nipping and sucking everywhere he laid his lips.

"The female body is extremely sensitive," he said, moving his hands to cup your breasts. You moaned. "Especially the breasts," he rubbed his hips up against your clit, "And the clitoris," he laughed lightly as you moaned again.

He expertly slid your bra off after unhooking it and flung it away. His mouth moved to your nipple and he teased it with his tongue until it was hard. 

"The key is patience," he murmured softly. He took the other nipple in his mouth and gave it the same attention. Now that he was done with that, he trailed kissed down your ribs towards your navel. "May I?" he asked, hooking his fingers around the top of your panties. You looked down at him. He was smiling, enjoying his lesson. You nodded and lifted your hips to assist him.

His smooth hands slid down your thighs and moved them apart easily.

"Would you like to continue the lesson?" he asked you, already knowing the answer.

"Yes!" you exclaimed. The anticipation was killing you. He arched an eyebrow, waiting for something. "Yes, Professor!" you laughed.

"There's a good student," he smiled. He licked his fingers and touched your sensitive nub. You moaned and grabbed the sheets. You felt tension building in your abdomen. He rubbed in slow circles at first, listening as you moaned and smiling when you bucked your hips.

"The interesting thing about the female orgasm," he said, as if he were teaching about Shakespeare or the weather, "Is that it can be achieved externally, or," he slipped a finger inside you, "Internally." You let out a small gasp and heard his low chuckle. He started pumping that finger while still keeping the slow circles on your clit. He slipped another finger inside you and curled them.

"Tom!" you couldn't stop yourself from moaning.

"Uh-uh," he warned you.

"Oh, God, Professor," you said, smiling after you moaned his title. Through hooded eyes you saw him smiling.

"Now come for me, little one," he said in his smooth voice. And you did. One last curl of his fingers had you seeing stars and writhing beneath his touch. He removed his one hand from your clit and sucked on you, lapping up your juices. You came down from your high at last and he removed his fingers from you. He kissed up your belly and massaged your breasts tenderly.

"And with that," he said, kissing your neck, "You have completed your first lesson."

You grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. Your body felt tingly and numb at the same time.

"That was incredible," you managed after a few moments. He lay next to you, shirtless, but still wearing pants. You let your hands slide down his shoulders and chest. Without thinking you reached for his belt but he stopped you.

"Going slow, remember, darling?" he said sweetly. "Tonight was about you, not me." You kissed his lips tenderly.

"Thank you for the lesson," you said. "When is the next one?"

He kissed your forehead and pulled you to snuggle on his chest.

"Whenever you would like, little one."

Suddenly you felt incredibly sleepy. Tom felt your breathing slowing so he asked again, "Would you like me to take you home?"

"No," you answered automatically. You snuggled closer to him. "If you don't mind I'd rather just--" the sentence faded from your lips with sleepiness. You felt Tom chuckle beneath you.

"Alright," he said, shifting. "Let me just get ready for bed and I'll be right back."

As much as you didn't want him to leave the bed, you allowed him to prepare for bed. He came back a few minutes later and slid in bed wearing only boxers. You cuddled up under his arm and laid your head on his chest.

"Sleep well, my darling," he said softly.

And with that you were dreaming peacefully, wrapped up in the loving embrace of your favorite professor.


	5. Omelets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of fluff for now. I have a few chapters planned and things will be a tad more complicated :)

It reminded you of home. Waking up, wrapped in Tom's arms was the closest thing you'd felt to the feeling in a long time. You breathed in deeply, opening your eyes slowly. Tom had his arm draped around you, hugging you close to him. You could feel the heat of his chest pressed up against your back and smiled. Thinking back to the previous evening, you felt a faint blush on your cheeks. You had never done anything like that before and he was... skilled to say the least.

You realized that you had never trusted anyone like that before. When he had asked you if you did trust him, you hadn't thought about it - you just trusted. That was new for you. Especially when it came to your body, there wasn't much you wouldn't do to protect yourself. From what, you weren't sure. But you always felt that strange sense of protectiveness about yourself. You didn't let anyone close to you usually, which is why you were so inexperienced. And yet... Somehow with Tom it was different. You felt safe with him. Perhaps it was because he was older and there was an element of maturity you hadn't experienced in other suitors. Perhaps it was the way he truly listened to you or the way he looked at you as if he were reading your thoughts.

Your breath hitched as you felt him stretch minutely, pulling you closer to him. He sighed heavily and then you felt a kiss on your neck.

"Good morning," Tom greeted you groggily.

"Morning," you responded.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Like a rock," you answered. This was true - and uncommon for you. Usually sleeping in unfamiliar places caused you to wake up constantly throughout the night. But last night, especially after the "lesson" you were completely passed out. You felt amazing because of it.

"Good, me too."

"Tom?" you asked.

"Yes, little one?"

"I just... I wanted to say thank you... for last night. I've never... well I've never felt that comfortable with anyone. I've never trusted anyone like that. And... thank you for that. I guess..." you fumbled with words, wondering how you could be a student of language and not know how to use it in times you needed it most.

"Of course, darling. I will always be there for you. I'm glad you felt comfortable. I feel the same with you."

You sighed, content. After a moment he spoke again.

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

You rolled over to face him. The light from the windows was yellow and tinted the back of his hair. His eyes were bright even with sleep and looked at you carefully. His hand lingered on your hip. 

"What are you in the mood for?" you asked. "I can cook a mean omelet."

He smiled at this and kissed your forehead.

"As long as I can be your sous chef."

Just as he said that, Daisy jumped up on the bed. She worked her way up the bed and snuggled in the small space between you and Tom. You laughed and she licked your face as you pet her.

"Looks like someone else is hungry," you laughed.

Tom chuckled and got out of bed. To your chagrin, he put on a t shirt. You followed, suit rolling out of bed. You realized you only had your dress from last night. Reading your mind, Tom tossed you a shirt of his. It was big enough to cover all of you and it smelled like him. You felt sort of sexy wearing the shirt. It was like an old fashioned way of showing that you belonged to Tom.

Tom took your hand and led you into the kitchen. Daisy followed happily at your heels.

Tom assisted in chopping vegetables as you made your famous omelet. Once seated with coffee and breakfast you talked easily. You could get used to this, you thought. It was so easy to be with Tom. You thought it might be weird because he was your professor, but now that you were with him, it was the most natural thing in the world.

He asked you what you were planning on taking for courses in the next semester and you informed him of the many literature classes you had planned. He smiled and recommended other professors for you to take. It would be a good semester, but you would miss him as your professor. He was actually brilliant at it.

"Your next class is very lucky," you smiled. "You're a great professor."

He smiled coyly and stabbed at his omelet.

"You flatter me," he said softly.

"I mean it. I know kids in that class that couldn't have cared less about literature at the start. But your passion made them care. It's really a gift, Tom."

He smiled warmly at you and you knew those words meant a lot to him.

"Well, it will be less interesting without my favorite student," he teased.

You laughed.

"I'll just have to audit a class or two then," you joked, although the idea was a fun one.

The two of you talked happily about the university and literature through the rest breakfast.

When you made it home, you already missed him. He had things to do and so did you so you had separated for the day. You made plans to reunite later in the day for another date. It wasn't discussed, but you were hoping he would give you another lesson... you were quite eager to learn and your compliment about his professing was not limited to literature.


	6. Shakespeare and Pillow Talk

Registering for classes was your least favorite part of the semester. The whole thing was like The Hunger Games. Everyone was cutthroat and you only had a slim chance of getting what you wanted.

Thankfully, you managed to get most of the classes you wanted. Some of them didn't say who the professor was yet, and you hoped they would be some of the ones that Tom had recommended. Four of them involved literature and one was an art class you took for fun. It would be a hard semester with all that reading and writing, but you loved it, so it wouldn't be a burden. Plus, now you had a hot professor to help you with all kinds of things.

You sat in your sweatpants, hair in a messy bun, and tea sitting beside your laptop. Your phone buzzed and you took a look at it. Smiling, you saw it was Tom. He was calling you.

"Hello?" you answered, swiveling around in your desk chair.

"Hello, darling," you heard Tom's voice. "What are you doing right now?"

You looked down at your tea and your sweatpants and made a face.

"Just registered for classes so I'm just lounging at the moment."

"Oh, how did it go?" he asked, truly interested in your response.

"I think it went well. I mostly got what I wanted."

"Good, good. Listen... this may sound strange, but I'm outside right now..." Tom seemed hesitant. Why was he outside?

"Really?" you asked, half not believing him. You got up and went to your window, peeking through the blinds. Indeed he was outside. It looked cold, but Tom was standing in a jacket, looking quite comfortable. "Wow, you are. Why?" you asked. You hadn't made plans that you could remember.

"Can I come up?" he asked.

You took a look down at your outfit and cringed. Better warn him.

"I'm not exactly... decent," you laughed.

"Darling, I would think you beautiful in every state of decency."

Damn. Alright.

"I'll buzz you in," you smiled. You saw him do a little dance and chuckled.

You buzzed him in and soon enough he found your door. You opened it to him and invited him inside. Thankfully, you kept a relatively clean apartment. It was nothing compared to Tom's elegant house. Your apartment had movie posters on the walls and books piled up everywhere on the floors.

"Sorry, it's a bit..." you didn't even know how to describe your space. Uncultured? Unsophisticated? Surely not a decor that Tom would have chosen.

He took a quick glance around and smiled.

"It's lovely," he said.

You sighed in relief and he quickly kissed you on the cheek. Just the small show of affection made you blush and also ache for more.

"So," you said, "What do I owe this impromptu appearance to?"

Tom smiled and shrugged.

"I was in the area... and I was thinking about you. I just... needed to see you." He grabbed your hand and kissed it. Then he nuzzled it against his smooth cheek and sighed. "I just really needed to see you," he repeated almost to himself. He wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace.

You weren't quite sure how to respond. It seemed there was something else going on here that only he was aware of.

"Did something happen?" you asked.

You led Tom over to the couch. He took off his jacket and hung it on a chair. He sat down and pulled you into his lap. Your face was quite close to his and you resisted the urge to kiss him so he could explain. He held you close and looked you right in your eyes.

"Nothing serious," he said slowly. "I was driving, thinking, and a deer darted in front of the car. Luckily I slammed on the breaks just in time and didn't hit it. If I had been a second slower though... I think it would have gone right through the windshield."

You shuddered, picturing the horrible scenario. Tom kissed your temple which pushed the thoughts from your mind for a moment.

"And it struck me, you know. It could end at any moment, this fragile life. And the first thing I thought of after the experience was that I wanted to be with you."

He spoke so genuinely and so naturally. You watched as he picked each word carefully.

"I wanted and needed to see you immediately... because life is short... and I'd like to spend it..." he trailed off there, his gaze unsure for a moment. Would he like to spend it with you? Your professor, wanting to spend his life with you. Your breath hitched. He smiled softly and said, "I want you to be in my life."

Unsure whether he did not specifically finish the sentence because of his insecurity of your relationship or his insecurity about your feelings for him, you were not sure how to proceed.

Luckily his lips on yours stopped whatever over-analytical thought process that was about to happen. The kiss was not urgent or pressing. The kiss was thoughtful and gentle. Tom kissed you like it had been you that had almost been lost instead of him.

When he pulled away, you nuzzled against his chest.

"You know, I had planned on taking you out tonight," he said after a moment. "But would you mind perhaps staying in?"

"Not at all," you smiled. He kissed your temple again.

"What would you like to do?" he asked.

You weren't sure. Your apartment was pretty small and you didn't have much in the way of entertainment.

Tom's eyes scanned the room and he reached for something. You turned your head and realized he was lifting the book you had just laid down earlier that morning. It was still open to the page you had left of on.

" _Love Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare_?" he asked, inspecting the book.

You nodded, waiting for him to give his opinion.

Instead of giving his opinion, he started reading part of a sonnet to you and you closed your eyes, leaning against his chest.

You listened as he read the words you could probably recite from memory by now. His rhythm and inflection were perfect and you were lulled into a sort of trance. His fingers that weren't wrapped around the book were tracing patterns on the small of your back.

He finished the sonnet and looked down at you with a smile.

"I love this," he said, flipping through more of the book.

"Me too," you smiled. "I just wish it had some of the plays as well," you added. That had been your intention when going to the bookstore, but this had stuck out to you for some reason and you hadn't gotten around to finding one with a compilation of his plays.

Tom hummed in agreement and kissed the top of your head. He set the book down. You moved to face him, placing a leg on either side of his lap. Straddling him was not your intention but it was where you ended up and you rather enjoyed it. Tom's eyebrows arched in surprise and you decided to just go for it. You kissed him and nipped at his lower lip.

His hands ran along your back and down to your ass. They trailed along your thighs and up to your breasts.

You were quick with your hands as well and started to unbutton his shirt. You slid your hands down his firm chest and felt him getting hard beneath you.

Whether or not he was going to teach you, you wanted your second lesson right now. You could self-teach you smiled at your own thoughts.

Once you had rid him of his shirt, his chest was exposed to you. You let your kisses leave his mouth to trail down his jawline and neck. You nipped and sucked along the way, probably ensuring he would have to wear a scarf or turtleneck for a couple days.

He tipped his head back against the couch as you continued lower and lower, finally reaching his belt.

You went to unbuckle it but his hands stopped you.

"Are you sure you're ready for this lesson?" he asked, his eyes playful.

"Yes, Professor," you smirked. He let go of your hands and you undid his belt.

Pulling down his pants and boxers, he helped you by lifting up his hips. Once he was exposed, you stared. You hadn't really encountered this scenario before. You had read some smut here and there and had friends tell you stories of their exploits, but this was a first. Luckily, it was a learning experience.

You took him in your hand and stroked experimentally. He inhaled sharply and you took that as a good sign. A few strokes had him completely hard. You looked up for him, awaiting instructions. He seemed rather distracted and almost unable to form words. This new power over him was sort of intoxicating. Since he was not giving you instructions, you took initiative.

You licked his tip and he shuddered in pleasure. Smiling, you wrapped your lips around him and slowly took in as much as you could. You watched as he took a deep breath and smiled.

"You're a natural," he laughed. "Not sure if you even need - ohh--" he stopped joking when you started using a bit of teeth. His head lolled back again and a moan escaped his lips. You smiled to yourself, loving your new found power over him.

You bobbed your head a bit and experiment with teeth and tongue, finding what made him react the most. You cupped his balls with your hand and gauged his reactions carefully. His hand fisted in your hair and help you along. You increased your pace bit by bit and you could tell by his breathing that he was close.

"I'm gonna--" he couldn't even finish his sentence before coming in your mouth. It was salty, but not unpleasant, you decided. You swallowed and wiped your mouth, watching him recover.

His pupils were huge and he seemed relaxed and happy. You stood up from between his legs and he pulled his pants back up.

"A-plus," he graded you, out of breath. You smiled at the joke and rejoined him on the couch. "That was... thank you," he smiled. 

You laughed.

"Any time," you said casually. He looked at you and bit his lip. Then he kissed you and you saw stars. The chemistry between you was amazing. It was something completely new that you could feel so comfortable with someone and yet so attracted to them. It had just never happened before. "Now, what else do you want to do this evening?" you asked. "I have a couple movies? or we could play a game or just talk, whatever works."

Tom looked thoughtfully at you before responding.

"I'd like to just talk," he said.

You hadn't heard that from many men before.

And so you did talk. For hours. You ordered food eventually too, but you just talked with him for the entire night. The subjects were wide in range and you found that you opened up quite easily to him - something you had found difficult before.

Eventually the two of you got tired of sitting on the couch and when it got late you stripped down to your intimates and laid in bed together.

It was like you had known him for years. It was a strange feeling, one you'd only ever had with your close girl friends, but different at the same time. As the night went on, you found yourself telling him things you had never told anyone. Not secrets - because you didn't have many of those - but just private thoughts that you didn't trust anyone with. He simply listened, adding comments here and there, asking questions. You knew that he would never judge you for anything you said.

You found that he felt quite similarly. He opened up about his family life and past relationships. He talked about insecurities that he had and things that worried him. He told you, and you responded in kind afterwards, that he hadn't told anyone this stuff, not even past lovers.

You smiled softly at him, knowing you had something special here. There was something between you that just clicked. You had sensed it all semester, but now that you had had a chance to explore it - it was amazing.

You talked through the night and finally went to sleep around 2am. He held you close the entire night and you slept peacefully in his arms, content.


	7. Lessons in Love

The nice thing about your semester break was that Tom had the same one. You spent the weeks together when he wasn't busy with University meetings and you weren't busy with working at the local coffee shop or seeing your family.

The most time you spent with him, the more comfortable you became. You had never had this with anyone before. Even with friendships, especially with men, you'd never been exceptionally physical. You would notice any touch between you and the person. But with Tom it was different. With Tom, you relished and invited the accidental brush-by of his hand, the kisses on your cheeks, and his hand on the small of your back. You grew accustomed to the way he would stroke your arm absently while you talked and the way his breath sounded when he laughed. You'd never noticed or cared, really, about those kinds of things with other men or other people in general.

And you hardly noticed the age gap. Although he was about ten years your senior, it didn't show. Perhaps he was a younger soul, perhaps you were an older soul. Whatever the reason, it worked.

Tom knew what you were thinking before you thought it sometimes. He was the only one you would show your writings to. He was the only one you really trusted with your innermost thoughts.

Things had been going so well. You were definitely ready for your final lesson with him. At the same time though, you did like the pace you'd been at. When you were together you'd fool around, but if you ever wanted to stop you would and he would never pressure you.

Tonight, though, you were planning on going all the way with him. It hadn't been spoken, but you wanted it to be the night. You were definitely ready.

When you arrived at Tom's house, the walkway was lit up with the usual lamps which cast a yellow glow on the well-groomed flowers. Daisy heard you before Tom did and was at the door immediately, jumping up and down. You laughed, realizing that's what you felt like internally when you saw Tom.

Soon after Daisy's excited barking, Tom came to the door. He was dressed casually in tight jeans and a dark blue V neck shirt. You had chosen to dress up a little, feeling that if tonight was the night, you wanted to look your best. You had chosen a deep necked dress with long sleeves and a short hem.

He opened the door and held Daisy back so you could step inside. Once you closed the door you bent down to greet her, kissing her muzzle.

"Do I get any attention?" Tom mockingly pouted.

"What do you think?" you asked Daisy. "Does he deserve it?"

You pretended to consider it while standing up but while you were stroking your chin in "thought" Tom pulled you to him quickly and kissed you deeply. You felt your knees weaken and a smile break out on your face.

When he pulled away his pupils were huge and you kissed him quickly once more before he led you into the kitchen. He had already started cooking and it smelled delicious. He always managed to cook very simple things but make them taste exquisite and complicated.

After dinner you were sitting at the table when he suddenly jumped up.

"I almost forgot!" he said, running out of the room.

Confused, you waited for him to return. It did not take long and he reentered the room with a rectangular, wrapped gift.

"It's not an anniversary or anything, but I saw it... well, I looked for it... and I just thought you would enjoy it."

He extended the gift to you and you took it hesitantly. You suddenly felt unbalanced, and spoiled. He could sense this of course and smiled, trying to calm you.

"Open it," he said, once you had stood awe struck for a moment.

You did as he asked and unwrapped it. You should have known by the weight and feel of it that it was a book. You were not prepared for how beautiful it would be.

"It's at least a hundred years old," Tom said proudly. "But mint condition. All the plays."

And indeed it did have them. The Shakespeare book that you had meant to buy originally, but much more beautiful. You felt a surge of emotion at the thoughtful gift. You smiled at him, unable to form words for a moment.

"Tom... this is..." you still had trouble identifying what this was. "No one's ever given me a gift like this before. Thank you."

He smiled, still proud of himself, as he should be. You put the book on the table and walked over to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he wrapped his around your waist. Suddenly the air between you changed. Where there had been sweetness there was now lust and wanting.

Your tongue found his and they played with each other between your mixed breaths. His hands moved up and down your body as your fingers ran through his hair. You stumbled blindly back as he led you to his bedroom. You felt the mattress against the back of your knees and put your hands back to guide you down towards it. You and Tom hadn't broken your kiss until now. You slid back so you could get onto the bed while he stayed at the end.

"Now," he said, his eyes full of lust for you. "Are you ready for your final lesson?" 

You giggled and nodded.

"It is a common misconception that women are supposed to bleed upon their first time, did you know this?"

You shook your head. You actually did not.

"Well, it is not explained to girls because men don't feel they should be held responsible for the reason women often bleed. And the reason," he slid his shirt over his head in one fluid motion. "Is because they do not get their partners wet enough first," he licked his lips and you already felt yourself growing wet for him. His voice was low and sultry and made you feel extremely warm.

You quickly wriggled out of your dress and displayed the lingerie you'd bought for the evening. Tom's eyes roamed over your body and you felt a sense of pride at his obvious arousal.

He rid himself of his pants and boxers and crawled onto the bed towards you. You weren't quite sure what to do so you waited for more instruction.

"Now," he said, moving your legs aside and coming up between them. "Where are the most sensitive parts of the female body?" He kissed your lips first before you could answer. Realizing it was meant to be a demonstration and not a question, you remained silent, watching your professor teach the best lesson of your life. "Here," he said kissing your lips once more. "Here," he repeated, kissing below your ear and down your neck.

His hands ran along your sides and you arched your back to allow him access to your bra hook. He slid it off of you carefully and laid it aside.

"Here," he said, taking a nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it until it was taught. "And here," he paid the same attention to the other one. You smiled as he continued to kiss down your stomach, once in a while using his teeth. You could feel yourself getting wet with anticipation as to where he would eventually end up.

His fingers traced along the top of your lace panties before urging you to arch up again and allow him to slip them off.

"Now," he said, settled in between your knees. "I can see that I have had some affect on you," he smiled. You tried to shrug nonchalantly which caused him to chuckle. "But another technique is anticipation..." he looked down at your sex and then held your leg near your knee.

He turned and kissed your thigh. Slowly he brought his trail of kisses closer and closer to where you wanted him. Your breathing was staggered as you waited for him to get there. He took his time and finally you felt the last kiss right next to your sex. 

You looked down at him and saw him smile before delving into your folds. You threw your head back as he ravaged your clit with his tongue. You grabbed the sheets and your knuckles turned white as the amazing feeling overtook you.

"Darling, you taste delicious," he said, licking his lips. 

The image of him down there, his lips glistening was amazingly hot. You were about to respond but all breath left you once he returned his tongue to you. He held your hips as you tried to buck them against his mouth. You were getting so close. It didn't take much more to send you over the edge. Tom continued to suck you until you settled down from your high.

"And now," he said, sitting up between your legs. You looked at him through hooded lids. "Now you are ready for me, yes?"

You nodded enthusiastically. He smiled. He stroked himself a few times to get hard and then positioned himself at your entrance. He leaned down and kissed you.

"You're sure?" he asked, dropping your thinly veiled charade. The concern in his eyes was completely genuine. You nodded, sure. "I love you," he said as he pushed into you. You couldn't think about those words at the moment, because every part of your body tingled.

You let out a moan at the pressure. It didn't hurt, but it was different. He let you adjust and then pulled out. He slowly pushed into you again and you grabbed his back. You wrapped your legs instinctively around his hips. He buried himself inside you until your hips touched. You heard him moan and he slid out again, almost all the way.

Keeping eye contact, he started a slow pace. You moved your hands to his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Soon, he started increasing his thrusts. The pleasure far out weighed the pain and you felt another orgasm begin to build within you. Tom increased his thrusts even faster and you cried out, feeling you were close.

"Come for me, little one," he whispered in your ear.

You did just that. He watched you come undone and clench around him, sending him into his spiral of ecstasy. As you came together you experienced a closeness you had never shared with anyone before. This... this intimacy, was amazing. You had let Tom see you in a way no one else had. You had seen Tom in a way, at least specific to you, no one else had ever seen. Once he came, he held you for a moment. Then, he pulled out slowly, kissing you. He rolled next to you and you moved to lay your head on his chest.

Breathing heavily, you looked up at him. He kissed your forehead and you smiled.

"I give you and A-plus," you joked. He chuckled.

"You can't grade a professor."

You shrugged. "You want me to take off points for arguing?"

"No ma'am," he said mockingly.

You laughed and held each other close.

"Tom," you said. "What you said before... I--"

"I meant it, darling. If you don't feel the same--"

"No, I wanted to say... I couldn't think at the time," you blushed a little. "But I just... I love you too. Truly."

You rambled a little but said what you needed to. He kissed you lightly and sighed happily.

As you lay with Tom in a comfortable silence, you thought about what you had just said, and what it meant in comparison with your past. You had never let anyone in like this before... Was that for a reason? You considered that for a moment. You did love Tom... and that was a risk you had never played with your heart before. You suddenly felt very vulnerable. You didn't know if he felt the same way. Perhaps he was content with his feelings. You, however, were scared. As much as you loved Tom, as much as you knew you would always love Tom, there was a part of you that feared he might not always love you. And you knew that was the risk that everyone took in such matters. But now that you were in it - and oh, were  you really in it - it was immensely scary.

You closed your eyes and focused on his fingers which traced light patterns on your back. You focused on his heartbeat beneath you and the steadiness of his breath. Soon you fell asleep, forgetting, for the moment, and just enjoyed being with Tom, the man you loved.


	8. Auditing

No night would quite match up to the first night you spent making love to Tom; but there were a few that could easily come in a close second. Through the break you saw each other regularly. You felt yourself falling for him even more with time. It still scared you senseless. You had tried to build up a world outside of Tom, but he was easily recognized as the center of it... what would you do if that center ever left?

Now that the breeak was over, you were back for your last semester at the university. Tom had a few classes he was excited to teach, including the one you had taken last semester.

You sat biting your lip and musing to yourself. Should you do it? Today was the first day of classes. Tom had the class that you had taken with him, and you were supposed to have a literature class, but the professor called in ill. Immediately a scheme had sprung to mind but you weren't sure if you wanted to follow through with it. Hiking up your skirt and lowering your neckline you grabbed your bag and ran. You beat him there, that was part of the plan. You sat in the back and hid your face as he jogged in, late.

"Terribly sorry, class. I ran into a bit of a snag at the coffee maker."

The whole class immediately forgave him, as you would have, with that charm. He scanned the room, taking in the new faces.

"It's lovely to see such a full class. So many fresh--"

His speech cut off when he caught your eye. You smirked and he cocked his head.

"Faces..." he finished. He didn't linger long enough to cause any suspicion among the students but he flicked his gaze to you every once and a while. This was going to be fun for you.

Professor Hiddleston started to write his name on the board.

"Of course, some of you may just be auditing this class," he turned and looked fleetingly at you. You feigned ignorance and watched him. "And that is fine. I hope you enjoy your time here."

He wiped his hands of the chalk and leaned against his desk. You remembered that desk quite well. You had kissed him on that desk. You smirked again and watched him as he began to give his spiel about the course.

"There will be a fair amount of reading, I am warning you now so--"

You waited until you had his eyes before opening your legs to him. You hadn't worn any panties, per the plan, and you watched a blush creep up on his face. You closed your legs as soon as you saw a head turn your way.

He had stopped mid sentence again and his bright red cheeks sent some questioning stares around the room.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm quite distracted today." He smiled lightly and continued on with his speech.

When he was finished talking, he asked if there were any questions. A few hands went up, including yours. He saved you for last.

"Would you say that you're a particularly _hard_ professor?" you asked with enough nonchalance that anyone besides Tom would not notice the double entendre.

Tom cleared his throat and went to sit behind his desk. You were sure it was because of his growing arousal and gave yourself a mental high five.

"I can be," he said, staring straight at you. "Depends on the effort of the student."

You licked your lips, wishing that the rest of the class would leave immediately.

"So if we do our best, good things will _come_ to us?"

He smiled that knowing smile.

"I should say so," he said lowly. "Is that all?"

"For now," you said, sticking your pencil in your mouth and biting on it.

"Class dismissed then," he said, not taking his eyes off of you.

The students took an eternity to shuffle out and you pretended to be putting things away in your bag until the last one left.

Professor Hiddleston walked over to you and sat on the desk in front of you.

"That was insanely unfair," he bit his lip. "I thought you had class."

"Cancelled," you said, looking up from your bag through your long eyelashes.

"Ah," he said.

You stood up, acting as though you were going to leave with not so much as a wave. You stepped close to him and he stood up, blocking your way.

"Excuse me, Professor," you played. "I need to do my school work."

He grabbed the back of your head roughly and pulled your mouth to his. You could already feel yourself growing wet as he slid his tongue into your mouth.

"Why, Professor," you exclaimed in mock astonishment. "How inappropriate!" He chuckled and pulled you back to him.

His kiss was hot and passionate. His hands found their way to your ass and squeezed. But suddenly he was off of you. The absence left you feeling a little hollow. You opened your eyes to see he had rushed over to the door to lock it.

You smiled and walked to the front of the room. You turned away from him and smiled as he came up behind you. He kissed your neck and you could feel his arousal behind you. You leaned over the desk and hiked up your skirt. You heard him moan loudly behind you and the sound of his zipper made you grin.

You grabbed on to the sides of the desk and waited while he positioned himself at your entrance. You hoped no one was around to hear the noise you made when he entered you. Your grip on the desk tightened as Tom slammed into you again and again. His hands wrapped around you to cup your sensitive breasts. They then made their way down and you made room for him to get to your clit. He started rubbing hard and your breath was coming in gasps.

"Tom--" was all you could whisper before you came, clenching your walls around him.

You heard him grunt and say your name before spilling inside of you. He pulled out and you straightened up. Before you could turn around he had wrapped his arms around you and started kissing right below your ear.

"I bloody love you," he growled before nipping your neck.

You turned around and kissed him lazily. You applauded your earlier decision.

"Lunch?" you asked.

"Only if we can get it to go," he said, that fire still burning in his eyes.

You laughed and agreed. Lunch to go for the Professor and his visiting student.


	9. I Choose You

You and Tom quickly ordered food to go and brought it back to his place. After you had lunch, you and Tom made your own kind of dessert. As you lay together in the peaceful afterglow, you heard him sigh.

Your naked forms were bare to the world on his bed and you admired the length of his body beneath you.

"Why the sigh?" you asked sleepily.

"Nothing, darling," he said softly. "Just... incredibly happy."

You smiled and kissed his chest.

"Me too," you responded.

There was a slight pause before Tom spoke. When he did, he moved to sit up. He looked at you and took your hand.

Kissing the back of it, he said, "Darling, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" you asked.

"Mhm," he smiled. "But it is for tomorrow."

You cocked an eyebrow, intrigued. 

"What kind of surprise?"

Tom's face was unreadable, but he looked happy at least.

"One... I am hoping you'll like."

His eyes held a hint of both mischief and apprehension. You kissed his soft lips and sighed. 

"I'm sure I'd like any surprise from you," you smiled.

Tom glanced at the clock and frowned.

"I have to get back to work. Staff meeting in an hour."

You groaned.

"I think you're sick, you're coming down with something," you smiled, moving to straddle him. "I don't think you can make it."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled that laugh you loved so much. He licked his lips and looked you up and down before biting his lip.

"I wish I could, darling, but I can't. It is actually a rather important meeting that I've already rescheduled a few times. I also need to get something for your surprise tomorrow," he grinned.

You sighed, rolling off of him, and plopped onto the bed.

"I suppose I should be doing homework," you said grudgingly.

Tom chuckled again and got off the bed. You watched his perfect body stride across the room, and, to your chagrin, put clothes on. That man could wear a suit though, you had to admit. Once he was dressed he strode back over to you. He leaned down and kissed your lips. Just as the world was starting to spin he pulled away with a smile. You groaned at the end of the kiss, annoyed that he had to leave.

"Just lock up if you leave," Tom said before placing another kiss on your forehead. He turned to face you at the doorway. "I love you," he said elegantly.

You felt yourself blush before answering, "Love you too."

And with a smile he was out the door.

Not long after he left you took a shower and got dressed. You hung out with Daisy for a while, not wanting to return to your mountain of homework. When you finally did, you got through about half of it before a text from Tom came through.

_Sad to see you decided to attend to that homework. Was hoping you'd still be in my bed._

You grinned at the text and put away your English anthology. You thought for a moment before responding.

_So much for the Professor encouraging good studying habits._

He responded almost immediately.

_No one's saying you can't study... in my bed._

You shook your head and laughed before you got another text from him.

_What are you doing around 7pm tomorrow?_

You told him you were doing nothing and asked what he had in mind.

_Surprise_ _._

That was all he sent. You told him you'd be there at his place at 7pm the next day. You slept and dreamt of Tom and what he could possibly have in store for you. The next day you didn't have any classes so you spent it doing the rest of your homework and working out. When you happened to glance at your calendar, you noticed that graduation was only a few months away. That was incredibly scary, but also exciting. Kind of like Tom.

You didn't know what kind of surprise he had planned for you so you wore a fairly dressy dress and heels, did your make up and hair and went over to his house. In the crisp evening air, you were about to ring the doorbell but stopped. There was a note taped to the door.

_Come on in, darling. The surprise is on the table._

You did as the note instructed, unsure why Tom would have left a note telling you where the surprise was rather than give it to you himself.

You walked in timidly, expecting Daisy or Tom to jump out around the corner at any moment, but the house was still. His car was home, so you figured he must be here.

"Tom?" you tried. No answer.

You walked over to the kitchen table as instructed and saw that there was a large box on the table. It was elegantly wrapped with white paper and a black bow. There was a note on top of the box. The handwriting was unmistakeably Tom's, that perfect cursive. You picked it up gingerly and unfolded it. It read as follows:

_My darling,_

_Forgive me for not making this speech in person but I find the very thought of it more daunting than any task of Hercules. The time I have spent with you has been the happiest of my entire life. You make me want to be a better person. You make me see the light in life where I once saw only darkness. You complete me in a way that I did not know was possible. And if you would, I would like us to walk together into whatever is to come next._

_Devotedly yours,_

_Tom_

Your heart fluttered and again your eyes swept around you for any sight of Tom. You didn't see him. What was this exactly? Your shaky hands put the note next to the box. You undid the ribbon and let it fall away. Carefully, you took off the top of the box. You peered inside. In the bottom, on a small pillow, was a key.

You picked it up and examined it. A key. Tom was asking you to move in with him. Your breath was hollow. At the moment you were happy that Tom wasn't with you because you had no idea how to form words. This was a lot for you. Moving in with someone? That was a serious commitment, something you had avoided in every relationship leading up to this. Those nagging worries came back to you. You loved Tom, but would he love you? Forever, and in the same passionate, crazy way you did him?

No. It was too good to be true. You had learned from past relationships and life in general that nothing like this could last. You couldn't help the tears that came. You had to end it. You couldn't risk you couldn't risk your heart like this. Tom held it in the palm of his hand and that made you vulnerable. You put the key back in the box and closed the lid.

You turned, ready to bolt out of the house and leave your issues behind you in that box, but he stood there before you now. His face had fallen from the smile you assumed he had before you had returned the key to the box. He watched as you tried to wipe your tears away.

"What's the matter, darling?" he asked calmly. He made to step towards you but you held up your hand. If he touched you, talked to you, you might change your mind and you couldn't risk it.

"I can't," was all you said before running around him.

You got to the door, opened it, walked outside, and closed it behind you. Suddenly your legs were weak. You slumped down against the door and cried.

"Why am I so dumb?" you asked yourself. "I can't do anything without messing it up."

You were sure Tom was still standing dumbstruck inside where you had left him. He probably thought you had fled by now. And you would have, had your heart not weighed a million pounds. You thought you were protecting yourself by saying no. You reflected on all those times that you had had your heart broken because you were too trusting. You had been down roads like these and none of them had ended well. Yet, when you left those roads you had felt better. But now... sitting in a crying mess on Tom's stoop, you did not feel better. You felt like part of your heart had been left in that box and now you couldn't function properly without it.

Suddenly you felt the door behind you open and you looked up to see Tom standing in his coat, ready to apparently run out the door after you. When he realized you were sitting next to the threshold, he looked down.

"Oh thank God," he said, taking off his coat. He wrapped it around your shoulders and sat down next to you, closing the door behind him. "I thought I would be too late."

You wiped your tears away and just stared. He had come after you?

"What?" he asked at your clear confusion.

"You... were going to come after me?" you asked.

"Well, of course," he answered like it was a dumb question.

"W-why?" you stuttered through delayed sobs.

"What do you mean, why?" he asked. "Because I love you. That doesn't end just because you get scared."

"I didn't get scared," you said like a five year old.

Tom waited patiently.

"Okay... I got scared," you admitted.

Tom put his arm around you and pulled you to him, kissing the top of your head.

"I know," he said.

"How?"

"Because it's bloody scary," he smiled. "But that's part of it."

You sighed. You knew that... it was putting the theory into practice that was hard.

"You're scared too? But... How... how do you deal with it?" you asked. You had no idea he was feeling the same way you were.

Tom shrugged.

"You can choose how to live your life. I think: what would my life be without this person. The answer, in this case, is meaningless. Then I think: what would my life be _with_ this person. The answer is, wonderful, fascinating, inspiring... the list goes on and on. I would rather risk losing you than risk missing out on all the amazing things I feel with you."

He looked into your eyes and wiped the last of your tears away.

"I would choose you every time, love."

Your heart melted. What had you done to deserve this man. You pulled him to you and kissed him fiercely. He pulled away smiling and held out a closed hand.

"You don't have to if you're not ready... but I will always have this waiting for you," he said seriously.

You looked at the key in his hand. It was small, a normal house key. It lay lightly in Tom's palm, and yet, with all of the future it held within it, it should have weighed down his hand down like a ton of bricks.

You took a big breath and reached for the key.

"I choose you too," you said.

You wrapped your hand around the key and picked it up. Tom's smile right then was the single most beautiful thing you had ever experienced. You stood up and let him lead you into your house. Your house... Your new home with Tom.


End file.
